The State of Michigan has added an online component to its motorcycle safety training class that allows students to complete the basics online, giving them more time in the classroom and on the range for in-depth discussion and practice.

“We've gotten some great feedback from instructors and students who love the new online course because of the advantages it offers,” said Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, who was one of the first women in Oakland County to receive a motorcycle endorsement. “Students cover the basics at home at their own speed and concentrate on the more challenging aspects of riding in class and on the range.”

About 3,000 motorcycle safety students this year will use the course with the new online portion, which has been introduced into classes in metro Detroit and at Grand Rapids Community College. The online component will be phased in over the next several months and will be part of all publicly and privately offered motorcycle safety courses statewide by 2017.

The state is also issuing for the first time “high visibility” motorcycle vests to each student that successfully completes the basic rider course offered through a public provider. The vests, which are provided by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning with federal grant money, are made with fluorescent lime green and reflective materials to better alert motorists of the motorcyclist's presence.

According to the Michigan State Police, nearly 60 percent of riders involved in a crash are not endorsed. More than 483,000 Michigan residents have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license. There are also more than 251,000 cycles registered in the state.

This Sept. 24, 2017, photo provided by Michael Kass shows Yann Arnaud during a Cirque du Soleil performance in Toronto. Arnaud died early Sunday, March 18, 2018, after falling while performing during a show on Saturday in Tampa, Fla. (Michael Kass via AP)

A Cirque du Soleil performer died Saturday night after he fell during a performance in Tampa, Florida.